Home Office

Windrush Generation: Anniversaries

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they are planning to celebrate Windrush Day on 22 June; how the Immigration Bill will assist in dismantling the ‘hostile environment’ towards immigrants; and whether the Bill is designed to restore the UK’s reputation as a welcoming and friendly international nation.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government remains committed to ensuring that 22 June is a day of celebration and recognition for the Windrush generation and their descendants. 2020 saw the second provision of an annual £500,000 grant to support celebrations on 22 June as well as longer term projects to ensure a lasting legacy for the Windrush generation. Earlier in the year, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government approved funding to be allocated among 49 charities, community groups and local authorities. In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, officials worked with grantees to deliver their project outcomes through online or virtual means to coincide with Windrush Day, and by postponing some delivery until later in the year where necessary. The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) also worked with community stakeholders to mark Windrush Day appropriately online and in the media. The Government is committed to a firm, fair and humane immigration policy which welcomes and celebrates those here lawfully, deters individuals from placing themselves at risk of harm and exploitation in the hands of people smugglers and protects the taxpayer. In common with other comparable countries, the UK has in place a framework of laws, policies and administrative arrangements, introduced under successive governments ensuring access to work benefits and services is permitted for those with the right access to them. The Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Bill is primarily focused on ending the EU’s rules on free movement of persons following the UK’s exit from the EU. It does not deal with general immigration matters.

Windrush Generation: Compensation

the lord bishop of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government, what assessment they have made of the efficiency of the rate of compensation payments to those affected by the Windrush Scandal; and what targets they have set for compensating the individuals involved.

the lord bishop of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government why Anthony Bryan is yet to receive full compensation under the Windrush Compensation Scheme.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office is processing claims as quickly as possible, but all claims are different, and the time taken will depend on many factors, including the complexity of the case. Wherever possible, the Home Office makes interim payments on parts of the claim that are straightforward to determine, such as immigration fees, thereby speeding up the provision of compensation. The most recently published statistics on the payments made under the Windrush Compensation Scheme show a clear increasing trajectory of payments: £362,997 paid in the first 12 months of the scheme, of which £300,799 was paid in the most recent three months of that period. These are available to view on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/windrush-compensation-scheme-data-may-2020. The Home Secretary also announced on 15 July that over £1.5m has now been offered in compensation to claimants. Once the offers are accepted by the applicants, the payments will be made. The Home Office does not disclose information about individual cases.

Immigration

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any hostile environment policies are still in place; and if so, what areas are covered by these policies.

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the success of hostile environment policies; and what criteria are used to judge the success of these policies.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government is committed to a firm, fair and humane immigration policy which distinguishes effectively between those with lawful status and those here illegally. The term ‘hostile environment’ as a description of Home Office immigration policy is incorrect and does not represent our values as a country.In common with other comparable countries, the UK has in place a framework of laws, policies and administrative arrangements, introduced under successive governments, ensuring access to work, benefits and services is only permitted for those with the right access to them. The measures within this framework are: Right to Work; Right to Rent; and access to healthcare, public funds, financial services and driving licences.Key measures were the subject of public consultations and/or impact assessments before they were introduced. The measures incorporate important safeguards, including the ability to exercise discretion where there are genuine barriers to persons leaving the UK or there are exceptional compassionate factors.A full evaluation of the Right to Rent Scheme is underway and the Government accepts the recommendations in the Windrush Lessons Learned Review report in full, including reviewing and evaluating measures designed to regulate access to work, benefits and services. As the Home Secretary said in her statement to Parliament on 21 July, policy and decision making must be rigorously examined to ensure that any adverse impact on any corner of our society is identified and acted on quickly. To ensure that we better understand the groups and communities that our policies affect, we are overhauling the way in which we build up our evidence base and engage with stakeholders across the board.

Windrush Lessons Learned Review

baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement by the Home Secretary on 21 July (HC Deb, col 2022), what are the terms of reference for the evaluation of the compliant environment policy and measures; whether that evaluation will be designed in partnership with external experts as recommended in the report by Wendy Williams Windrush Lessons Learned Review, published in March; when that evaluation is due to be completed; and whether the findings of that review will be made public.

baroness williams of trafford: As the Home Secretary set out on 21 July, it is right that those with no legal right to be in this country are not allowed to exploit the system, but the right protections must be in place for those who status should have been assured. We will undertake a full evaluation of the compliant environment policy and measures – individually and cumulatively - to make sure this crucial balance is right. This is a complex area of policy and scoping of this work has begun, including on the detail of the evaluation. More information will be available in due course.